


Almost Human

by misshelga



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Dumbledore Bashing, No pairings - Freeform, Sane Voldemort, Short One Shot, The Final Task, The Graveyard, old fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-19
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-12-31 11:22:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12131376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misshelga/pseuds/misshelga
Summary: At the Final Challenge of the Tri Wizard Tournament, The Dark Lord returned and gave young Harry Potter something to think about. Complete. One Shot.





	Almost Human

**Author's Note:**

> I originally wrote this one shot 5 years ago.  
> It has since been made into a multi-chapter fic, remade into a one shot, and edited.  
> So here you go.

Harry James Potter had just come home to Privet Drive from his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The term "home" was used loosely by Harry. Hogwarts is the only real home he knew. He can't call his life with his relatives, the Dursleys, home. They abused him his whole life, never treating him any better than a common house elf. He cooked their meals, cleaned their house, tended to their needs, and so much more. He was kept under the stairs in a cupboard most of his life, serving as his room.

They kept that he was a Wizard a secret from him his entire life. A half-giant had to come and tell him about Hogwarts and the Wizarding World. He learned from complete strangers that he was something of a Messiah to the Wizarding World, having vanquished the Dark Lord Voldemort as a baby, losing his parents in the process. Every year since he learned this, Voldemort has tried to kill him. Every year Harry comes out on top. He was a hero once more. Not that it mattered very much to him. All of this was just thrown on him when he was eleven.

Every Summer must return to these people he had to call “family” until he finishes his schooling. Harry wasn't exactly thrilled to ever return to that place. Especially not this year. During the school year, he took place in a tournament called the Tri-Wizard Tournament. It was between three schools; Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons. One must be of legal age in the Wizarding World, seventeen, to enter because of the death toll in the past tournaments. There is only one Champion from each school, chosen at random by the Goblet of Fire. From what was later discovered to be a trap by Lord Voldemort's followers, the Death Eaters, to resurrect their Master, Harry's name came out of the Goblet as a fourth name and second Champion for Hogwarts. Using Harry's blood, Voldemort returned. Cedric Diggory, the other Champion for Hogwarts, was killed by a Death Eater. Cedric was only a spare. He didn't need to die. Harry remembered Voldemort's rebirth too well.

* * *

 

The infant-like creature that went into the cauldron was no longer. A handsome man, looking no older than 30, emerged. Harry instantly recognized the man to be an older version of the Tom Riddle he had met from the diary. This man was the Dark Lord. Harry, tied to a tombstone, was too shocked to say anything even semi-intelligent. Death Eaters appeared around them in the graveyard. They, too, were shocked to see their Lord.

"Harry Potter." Once blue eyes glistened red at the boy. "We meet again. How much you have grown since we last met." The dark chuckle made shivers go down Harry's spine. A hand came to move his hair from his scar. A finger lingered on the spot his lightning bolt scar was. "I can touch you, now. Your blood runs through my veins. Your mother's Blood Protection no longer works against me, young one. You are at my mercy.” A predatory smile. “Afraid?" The binds holding Harry dropped. "Duel me."

Harry took up his wand and slowly came to his feet. He pointed his wand at the man reborn in front of him, shaking. He stumbled walking forward a bit, trying to get closer to the man who killed his parents. He had the wand pointing at the murderer's throat. Opening his mouth, no words came. Only tears. He fell to his knees crying in front of his enemy. He knew how pathetic he must look. "Cedric" was the only audible sound he could make.

"Dumbledore's Golden Boy." Tom- no, Voldemort gave a curt, sarcastic laugh. "You and I are more alike than you want to think. I, too, didn't take my first view of death very well. Though, I was much younger than you when my roommate hung himself from the rafters in that Hell I grew up in." A hand was placed on Harry's head. "Boy, you know what Hell is. It is all around you, yet you do not notice the truth. Dumbledore knew." Harry looked up. He knew that man was referring to his home life. How he knew that's what he meant, he didn't know. He just did. "He knows everything, doesn't he? Yet, he let you stay there. He continues to send you back there every year. To your own Hell." The hand moved to his cheek. "When you stop being manipulated by that old fool, you will see the truth. My offer from the Chamber still stands, if you wish to seek me out." It wasn't until the Dark Lord moved to stand that Harry realized he was being spoken to in Parsletongue after being called a “Golden Boy.” Tom stood and walked towards his servants. "As you are now, it would be unsatisfying to kill you. You are pathetic. We will meet again." His Death Eaters chuckled as they all retreated in the dark.

Harry scurried to his feet and grabbed Cedric's body and the Portkey, taking them back to Hogwarts.

* * *

 

Few believed that Voldemort had returned. Most didn't want to accept it. Just like Harry Potter didn't want to accept that Lord Voldemort had a point.


End file.
